Beginners Learning Team/Study group

Good idea! One thing you might want to do is see if you can get one or two experienced managers/developers/artists to act as mentors. This will help the project get moving and allow others to benefit from the mentors experience.

EDIT: *cough* I should pay more attention *cough*

Quote:

Any veterans of these areas who would volunteer even a fraction of there time would be rewarded with the satisfaction of knowing they have helped to lead beginners through the thick haze of newbiedom and onto the path leading to a functionable role on a team.

*blush*

So anyway it's ahh still a good idea, good luck!

Thanks for the input. I agree completely with your point of veterans giving a helping hand. I feel that this group could truely provide a useful place for many beginners in all aspect of game dev. I look forward and encourage anyone with any skills, ideas, criticisms, or feedback to get involved. Unfortunatly, the only payment which we can provide for veterans is gratitude and a sense that youve helped fellow peers of the industry in progressing easier through a very intimidating field.

~Mitch

I feel like going solo would be a better idea as a beginner.

I'm really interested in becoming a game developer, although at the moment i have exams ( will be finished in a week ) i'll have a few months off to learn c++ pretty much full time.

@dhulli: I understand your point of view and agree with you in a way. I think it comes down to the individual. There really isnt any reason a person couldnt learn on there own and also contribute to, or learn from, the team/group. Thank you though for your input.

@Silph: Thanks for the interest. Your situation works just fine, as I expect it to take a week or so before we get everything organized. Right now im sending out the feelers and informing people of what we have planned. Me email is in the original post and if you would like more information or have questions feel free to send me a mail.

~Mitch

(Bump)

Hey Smitch -

I am relatively new to game programming (second year CS major, however) and may be interested in such a group. I am currently developing a EV-Nova type game in C++. I have coded a breakout clone before as well. The primary interests of a group like this for me would be able to learn more graphics/game programming and be able to bounce ideas around with competent programmers.

I can see the advantage for me for a group like this, but what would be the goals of this group for say a more experienced member? Will you be creating a game?

Thanks

Excellent idea mate, where would one go to be a part of this?
Will you put up a forum somewhere on the internet?
Could it be done via msn?

Let me know, thanks :)

Thank you for your interest o4b. Below are some details of the team goals which I have been sending to those who have mailed me. I hope this helps with any other question you or others may have. Your main interest in the group is exactly what will make this team successful. Most people who have shown interest have a desire to grow in various aspects of development and are willing to trade some tips and help here, for some tips and help there. Some members have expressed a willingness to act in a mentor role. The plan is to work on very small, entertaining, and quality games of differing genres which will be added to a mini-game pack. This doesn't mean that more experienced members wont be given the freedom to create more elaborate small games.


**Before we begin in any sort of direction I would like to evaluate the needs, skills, and desires of those who show immediate interest in the project. Once we have a small group who can begin work we will discuss amongst ourselves the type of project we will work on. Much will depend on the initial interest and skill level.

Because this is a beginner focused team, I would like our first project to be a very simple game. This game genre would be decided upon by the members of the team. If we experience large division between desired genres, then we could, if enough people show interest, work on 2 projects. I cannot stress enough how small and simple these games will be. Despite this, my ultimate goal is to use these small game projects which we work on together to combine into a sort of 'mini-game' pack which would hold small, entertaining games of various genres. This would give the whole team the opportunity to work on something they enjoy, while also learning a broader range of skills. As stated before, this final product would be freeware and used to gain experience, or as a portfolio item. I would like to add that these are the beginning guidelines and ideas. At no time will the creative ideas or ventures of the members go without consideration. This team is a place for people to learn, experiment, network, and create.

I feel that there is a winning formula in this plan. It allows small goals to be set and achieved. This ensures that things don't bog down and gives people a sense of accomplishment. With the goal of the final project always in some minds, it gives motivation and somewhat removes the monotony of creating simple games. But for those who stop in for one project it gives them a taste of what they are interested in while still seeing a final product. Further enhancing the experience is the collaboration between peers who sit at (fairly) the same level. As stated in the original thread, the help of any veterans will inspire and greatly help all of us, and perhaps them.

Once again, thank you for your interest. If you are still interested I would love to hear any feedback, comments, criticisms, or ideas. I know that with some patience and dedication we can all bring this idea together and move forward. Thanks again and take care. **

Thank you Dubaian. As of right now the team is still getting off the ground. How we meet and organize will be directly relative to the amount of enthusiasm and interest we see. I would be willing to put forward some resources to get a forum and domain if the interest was high enough, which it looks like it will be. Before we get off the ground msn or anything else can be used between members to begin idea bouncing or to just get to know each other. Thanks again for your comment and interest.

Thank you for your great topic, i hope to be in your team.

Thanks again.

Hey I would love to be in your group.

I’ve wanted to join a group like this since my first “Hello world” program…but I always thought that I wasn’t ready enough.

I was trying to make a clone of gradius (NES) with C++ & SDL but I gave up 6 months later after realizing how much a “simple NES game” requires I’ts definitely no one man task. I’m a full time student and I’m pretty much forced to work on my spare time.

I was thinking about making something simpler for my next project (like tetris or pacman) so I could finish it without the “lack of time frustration”. But I like the idea of working in a team to learn more about game programming. After all…they say that the “one man game” era is long dead.

Now some questions/comments

-Since all of us are beginners I guess that we will have to pick a platform/language to start. I can see that many of us are thinking in C++. But I haven’t heard any graphics library up until now. How about GBA??? GBA dev is well documented in my opinion and I’t will be a great experience for those who dream with console programming. Well just an idea so we don’t end with DirectX without looking at some other options

-Maybe we could use google wave/google groups/Git hub/some other tool to help us organize the team

-I think that the hardest part of creating the team will be finding artist. I have the feeling that there are always more programmers than artists.

@Vladimirsan - Thank you for the interest and great ideas/feedback. As to your first question, GBA is certainly a possibility. These are some things which we can begin discussing on the new Google Group. This group is in direct response to your second suggestion. As to the third I agree, but am pleased to inform that we do have 2 artists as of right now.

The initial post has been edited with the new group URL, but it is also here:

http://groups.google.com/group/the-dev-academy

Sounds like a dope idea. I'm a novice in the experience side of teamwork but I feel I make the cut for talent. How do I join exactly? Do I just simply... be?

I'm a general artist and animator in both 3D and 2D. Here's what I call "Lazy links" (links that say enough because I can only touch-type in a thread for so long before I don't care and close the window :P)


http://rollielomas.deviantart.com/gallery


Peaaace.

I had a very similar idea myself. I havn't gotten around to going any further with it though.

Count me in.

Looks like a great idea and a good opportunity to learn together to build a game. Even if I don't have much experience in game development (but I'm working since years in software development), I hope I can join all of you. :)

I have some trouble writing new posts or answer to existing topics in google groups, does anyone have an idea why this doesn't work? I'm really interested in contributing...

Sounds good, i mite want to get in on this..

Hey,

I'm a beginner at C++ and am looking to work on a project to gain some experience.

In my final year of my Comp Sci degree and really want to get together with a group of beginners and work on something.

Start off small with a good group of guys to make friends and learn with and then build up and up :)

Where do I sign up :D